In the face of nature’s power forces, creating tough housing that can handle nature’s extremes makes sense. Green Builder Media has just launched a web site devoted to the art and science of building homes that can withstand virtually anything.

Chalk it up to luck, I suppose, but a few weeks back we missed the only real snowstorm to hit our corner of the world this winter because we were traveling elsewhere on business. We received email reports from folks in the neighborhood that our hilly country lane was totally impassible due to ice and wet, deep snow plus plenty of downed trees, and their daily updates indicated that the situation remained unchanged for almost a week.

THIS VIDEO BY THE LSU AG CENTER DISCUSSES WAYS TO SAVE WATER while designing disaster mitigation into home construction. Combining rainwater harvesting with a household water treatment system you can reduce water costs. By considering local hazards when installing these systems, future disaster repair costs can be reduced or even eliminated while also potentially saving money on insurance.

I JUST READ THE FOLLOWING STORY to the listeners of our radio program this past Saturday and I thought you would enjoy reading it yourself. It comes from Page Ivery, an Associated Press Writer reporting from Richburg, S.C.-

I AM SITTING HERE AT MY COMPUTER IN SOUTEAST TEXAS during the heart of hurricane season. As some of you know from my past blogs I’ve lived through 7.6 earthquakes and wildfires in Southern California, 4’ of flood water in my home in Cypress Texas, been chased into basements during tornado warnings and chased out of town by hurricanes & tsunamis more times than I can count.